Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Picking Up a Young Silver Lion (2)
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Iron Arm Robert lived up to his nickname, with an iron prosthetic attached below his left elbow.
“Hello.”
I greeted him politely, then grabbed El’s head—which clearly wasn’t used to such formalities yet—and forced him to bow.
-Clang!
Iron Arm Robert didn’t respond to our greeting. Instead, he just kept hammering away at the weapon he was holding.
“I’d like to commission some armor.”
“……”
“I’ve already prepared the materials.”
I pulled out the crumpled Golden Lion Legion armor pieces from my subspatial ring.
They were made of such high-quality metal that he’d surely recognize their value, but since the Golden Lion emblems were unrecognizable, he wouldn’t suspect much.
“……!”
El flinched beside me but only let out a frustrated breath without moving further.
Iron Arm Robert was the one who reacted instead.
“Fine armor.”
His reputation for skill wasn’t exaggerated; he recognized its worth at a glance. Praying he wouldn’t identify the crumpled Golden Lion pieces, I replied.
“Yes. Zombies from the Cursed Land were wearing them.”
“……”
Plenty of people, even nobles, got banished to the Cursed Land. Iron Arm Robert seemed to know this too, as he didn’t press me further.
“Can you rework this armor into something this kid can wear?”
Out of the armor from six zombies, I had four decent sets. Some pieces didn’t match, but they could be melted down and reforged anyway.
“I’ll pay properly.”
I held up a leather pouch full of money as I spoke.
Iron Arm Robert turned the crumpled armor over in his hands, then nodded.
It was too good for mercenaries to wear. Any blacksmith would covet such materials.
“You’ll have to wait about a fortnight.”
“Fine.”
I could hunt in the Cursed Land during that time.
I handed Iron Arm Robert a 50-silver down payment.
“I’d also like a decent sword.”
At my words, Iron Arm Robert stood and led us to the back of the forge.
Rough but serviceable swords lined the inner walls.
I gauged El’s height and picked out a plain sword of appropriate length and weight, handing it to him.
“Use this from now on.”
After paying Iron Arm Robert, we left the forge.
El looked sullen even with the sword at his waist.
Kids these days...
“What’s the problem?”
“……Those armors were mementos.”
“So?”
“At least... show some respect...”
“Respect won’t save your life.”
“……”
“But new gear might help keep you alive.”
“……Yes.”
“I didn’t sell the armor you were wearing or the sword you had. So stop looking like you want to die.”
“……”
“Grow into that armor, and I’ll give it back.”
“Yes, Master.”
……Master, out of nowhere?
Reading my incredulous expression, El blushed and mumbled.
“I was taught to call someone who teaches me ‘Master.’”
“Not wrong, but...”
“Don’t you like it?”
Well, sure. Titles like “milord” or “Sir Theodore” grated on me anyway.
Master was fine.
“Do what you want.”
And so, El and I returned to the inn.
No issues arose. With his hair cut short, no one took him for a girl.
The innkeeper couple said nothing, perhaps assuming he was my squire. They just hinted that sharing a room meant double the fee.
I requested thick blankets, quilts, and two portions of food before heading upstairs.
“I’ll lay down the rules.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t touch my stuff. Ever.”
“Yes.”
“I bathe first. Always.”
“Yes.”
“You sleep on the floor.”
“……Yes.”
“Any complaints?”
“None.”
Making a noble lady sleep on a hard floor would be unthinkable in this world, but things were different now.
Lady Elizabeth Reinhardt was gone. Only the orphan “El” remained.
Taking in an orphan here was practically charity.
‘I’ll make the [Silver Lion] pay me back later.’
We had a simple meal, bathed, and went to bed. Exhausted, El fell asleep quickly, and Aila, curling up beside him, followed suit.
‘Expenses will double starting tomorrow.’
I was the only one stuck awake late into the night, lumbered with this unexpected headache.
* * *
A fortnight passed. Aila, El, and I went hunting in the Cursed Land every day and returned. Even seasoned veterans didn’t hunt daily, so the merchant dealing in monster byproducts understandably clicked his tongue at me.
“To think you’d go out hunting every day.”
“Gotta be diligent to eat.”
“Never seen a mercenary like you. Impressive, really.”
“Haha, you flatter me.”
I smiled and took the money pouch from the merchant.
I’d nearly cleared out the nearby undead monsters, so the city was expanding the safe zone by cutting down and burning Cursed Land trees.
‘It’ll take time, but that’s fine.’
As usual, we finished our business and returned to the inn.
The grueling schedule seemed tough on El, but his youthful recovery—whether natural or innate—let him keep up the next day. He wasn’t fully hunting yet, just assisting, so it wasn’t too burdensome.
Feeding Aila quality meat daily had grown her to the size of a large dog. As a Shadow Wolf, she had more growing to do, but she was already pulling her weight as a “hunting hound.” Food costs were rising, though...
‘Earnings have improved too.’
I soaked in a steaming bath laced with ice salt, lost in thought.
Today, beheading the last skeleton I encountered had leveled me up to 20.
I’d stalled at level 12 for three months, but shot up 8 levels in a fortnight.
‘Right on plan.’
I’d finally become an Apprentice Druid.
In [Age of Envy], classes had five tiers each. Druids were no exception.
Levels 1-19: Initiate Druid.
Levels 20-39: Apprentice Druid.
Levels 40-59: Skilled Druid.
Levels 60-79: Master Druid.
Levels 80-99: Transcendent Druid.
The highest in EoE was a level 60s warrior. For Druids, it was 42...
Meaning I had no clue what “Master” or “Transcendent” entailed.
Anyway, hitting level 20 as an Apprentice Druid let me pick a “Trait.”
There were 30 Traits total, but I could choose only three.
Unlike skills, Traits couldn’t be deleted or reacquired, so caution was key.
They ranged from lifting heavy loads easily to faster movement or better environmental awareness.
‘No need for [Pack Mule] with my magic pouch. My main weapon’s a bow, so no [Brute Strength] for hammers or morningstars.’
Traits should make me “advantageous,” not just “stronger.”
‘What I need is...’
[Explorer: Detect secrets in dungeons. Higher chance to find traps, shortcuts, hidden rewards.]
[Interpreter: Proficient in various languages. Better at complex ciphers.]
[Lucky One: Blessed by the goddess Riadel of Luck. Greatly increases Luck.]
These three.
None obtainable via training, skills, or totems.
[Explorer] was essential for dungeon rewards. High-level dungeons had riddles, making [Interpreter] vital too. Learning divine, holy, or curse words from scratch was insane, as were racial languages or foreign tongues beyond Imperial.
[Lucky One] was vaguely described, but “Luck” applied widely, making it infamous as a cheat Trait in-game.
“Phew, that’ll do.”
The water had cooled while picking Traits. I rose from the tub, dressed, and stepped out. Aila and El waited by the door.
“Master, dinner’s ready.”
“Already?”
“Yes? It’s been an hour since you went in...”
“Good thing I’m not late. What’s on the menu?”
“Round-Horned Buffalo ribs today, a special for foodies like you. The owner said he put extra care into it...”
Round-Horned Buffalo was a rare southern ingredient.
‘Did a caravan visit the city?’
-Grrr...
“……”
“……”
“……Right. Let’s eat first.”